MPH8001 : Principles of Public Health
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Shelina Visram
- Co-Module Leader: Dr Louise Brennan
- Lecturer: Dr Colin Millard, Dr Sarah Sowden, Dr Courtney McNamara, Dr Ryc Aquino
- Owning School: Population Health Sciences
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The aims of this module are to enable students to:
1. Understand core public health concepts, including the underpinning values, principles and domains of public health practice
2. Describe and interpret patterns of health and disease from population health data
3. Evaluate key drivers of population health and health inequalities
4. Draw on relevant frameworks, tools and theories to understand and develop solutions to contemporary public health problems
Outline Of Syllabus
This module is designed to introduce the main concepts, principles and practices of public health. This will include exploring understandings of health and illness, patterns of health and disease within specific contexts, and the causes and consequences of these patterns. The module will introduce the multi-disciplinary nature of public health and the kinds of evidence that can be applied to public health problems. It will also introduce the English health and care system, which is of particular importance to international students. The module includes learning in relation to the wider determinants of health and the application of public health approaches in different settings to tackle contemporary health issues. It will allow students to develop key academic skills that will help them to learn throughout their programme, as well as providing essential context to the skills and knowledge gained through other modules.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 48 | 1:00 | 48:00 | Preparation of assessments |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | PIP |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 15 | 1:00 | 15:00 | Preparation for lectures/seminars |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | PIP: interactive seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | Student-led group activity | 15 | 1:00 | 15:00 | Formative group work |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | Assessment clinics |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 90 | 1:00 | 90:00 | |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The module will involve a combination of research-led and practice-led teaching, with sessions being delivered by experienced academics and public health professionals. Academics will draw on up-to-date evidence from their own applied research, while senior practitioners will share examples of using relevant public health frameworks and tools in their practice.
Lectures will introduce basic concepts and include practical exercises for students to explore these in more detail. Seminars will include group discussions and analysis of real-world public health scenarios to facilitate critique and analysis of the subject. Students will be given at least one reading in advance of each session and will be expected to actively contribute to in-class discussions. Ongoing checks on students’ understanding (e.g. using quizzes or live polls) will be incorporated into the teaching and learning material, to provide a means of testing progress as they advance through the module.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Examination | 90 | 1 | M | 50 | Present in person Inspera exam. Two parts: A – Multiple Choice Questions (max 20), B - Short Answer Questions (6-8) |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 1 | M | 50 | A 2,000 word analysis of a contemporary public health topic |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Presentation | 1 | M | Present in Person Group oral presentation (15 minutes) |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
This module will make use of authentic assessment strategies to prepare students for real-world public health roles. Strategies have been chosen to mirror the UK Faculty of Public Health Diplomate Examination, which is intended to test a candidate’s knowledge and understanding of the scientific basis of public health. The digital exam for this module is designed primarily to test the students’ knowledge of core public health concepts using a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions.
The formative assessment will involve students working together in small groups throughout the module on identifying and appraising a routine data source, then giving a short oral presentation aimed at key public health stakeholders. This will provide students with an opportunity to practice their presentation skills and obtain feedback that can be used in their summative written report, which will enable them to demonstrate, in depth, the application of public health principles and theories to a contemporary health topic.
The report will indicate the degree to which students’ have read around the topic and evaluate their skills in appraising and synthesizing relevant information. It will also demonstrate students’ ability to construct a coherent argument and communicate this in accessible language to scientific and non-scientific audience.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- MPH8001's Timetable